A joint committee of Brazil's National Congress approved on Wednesday (2), in a symbolic vote, a report that ends the 20% import tax on international purchases of up to US$ 50, known in Brazil as the "blusinha tax", a nickname drawn from the small clothing shipments it affects. The report was written by Senator Leila Barros of the PDT on Provisional Measure 1.357/2026. It now goes to the floor of the Chamber of Deputies, where Speaker Hugo Motta has called a session for 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
What the text does
The report keeps the end of the 20% minimum charge and widens the Finance Ministry's control over taxation of international shipments. The minister will be able to cut the rate to zero for purchases of up to US$ 50, and to up to 30% for shipments of up to US$ 3,000; the previous floors of 20% and 60% come off the statute books, according to the news site Congresso em Foco. The ICMS, a state-level tax on goods and services, remains in force, and any exemption depends on each state governor, G1 reports.
Barros added a mechanism to assess the economic effects of the exemption. The first Finance Ministry review comes in three months, then every six months after that. It will track employment, income, federal revenue and the competitiveness of industry and retail, with specific monitoring for textiles and clothing, footwear, accessories, toys and cosmetics.
"We will keep the base text of the measure and include, at the productive sector's request, a mechanism for the Finance Ministry to periodically assess the impacts, make the data public and, if relevant effects are identified, propose mitigation measures in the future."
Barros made the statement after a meeting with the presidential palace. Congress will also reassess the end of the tax every year, based on data the ministry must release by April 30. "It is a criterion of transparency, evaluation and monitoring. The industrial sector keeps saying it is very harmful to national industry. So we created this provision," said Representative Reginaldo Lopes of the Workers' Party, who chairs the committee.
A deal between powers and a deadline
A request linked to Correios, the state postal service, was rejected. It would have given the company exclusive control of the logistics for international purchases of up to US$ 50, from customs clearance to home delivery. The government concluded the idea was unconstitutional, since a monopoly cannot be created by ordinary law, G1 reports. The vote followed two days of delays and a deal between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Motta and Senate President Davi Alcolumbre, sealed over lunch on August 26. Lawmakers filed 112 amendments to the measure; nine were accepted, fully or partly, in the report, Congresso em Foco reports.
The next step is the Chamber floor, and the Senate must still approve the text. A provisional measure in Brazil has the force of law but expires unless Congress ratifies it; this one lapses on September 8. If Congress does not finish voting by then, the tax returns on September 9. The goal, according to Lopes, is to complete the vote this week. The 20% tax has been in force since August 2024, when Congress created it under the Remessa Conforme program, which brought international e-commerce under federal revenue service rules, CNN Brasil reports.